BAU Girls' Night
by kdzl
Summary: The women of the BAU plan a 3-day spa retreat, but in their line of work, nothing ever goes right. H/P.
1. Chapter 1

**_AN/I'm trying to branch out, so this story will be markedly different from my others. First, it won't be about JJ--at least not on purpose. Second, Will isn't evil...at least not yet._**

"Ok, are you sure you're going to be all right with him alone for the next three days?" JJ asked Will, her normally controlled eyes filled with worry. She stood, rocking their son in her arms as a soft snow began to fall.

"JJ, you need some time alone. Without Henry." Will drawled. "We'll be fine. It's only three days." He attempted to take the baby away from her, but she easily avoided him.

"Maybe I should just cancel this all together." JJ insisted. "It's too soon. I'll just tell them I can't. I don't know what I was thinking, I should never have agreed to this in the first place." She shook her head in disbelief. Why would she have thought she was ready for this? She needed to be home with her son.

"Jayje, he's three months old, and you haven't left his side for more than ten minutes. You haven't slept in ages--this little girlie junk is time you need." Will said sweetly as he kissed her. "Plus, you have to go back to work sometime. Let's just think of this as a trial run."

"Fine. I'll go. But don't be surprised if I call you every ten minutes." She said, reluctantly handing the baby over to his father.

"I'll be looking forward to it. A boy needs male bonding time with his daddy." Will cooed to the small baby in his arms. Right on time, a heavy knock sounded on their front door.

"That's them. Are you sure you're going to be all right?" JJ asked again. Sighing, she moved towards the door and the incessant knocking.

"Jayje, I will knock this door down if I have to." Penelope Garcia threatened from the other side of JJ's door. "I have Emily here to do it too." She added as an afterthought.

"I'm coming." JJ quickly opened the door to reveal her two friends, still bundled up against the cold outside.

"Don't tell me you're not coming because I will pack for you and carry you to the car myself." Emily threatened as the women entered her home and removed their scarves. Both women were getting a little frustrated with JJ's constant cancelling on their plans at the last minute. They knew that she was partially compensating and trying to be the mother that she hadn't had, but it was still frustrating. The new mother had refused to leave her son, but the friends knew how frazzled JJ really was. This 3-day spa trip was exactly what she needed--even if she didn't know it yet.

"Look, we've got to get going. Em's got to run into the bank for the cash deposit, and then we are off to the lap of luxury." Garcia moaned in pleasure as she followed JJ into the bedroom where her bag and necessities were.

"Hey Em?" Will asked, looking up at her as Emily allowed the little boy to wrap his tiny hand around her finger.

"Yeah?" She asked, not looking up at him.

"Take care of her. She needs this."

"I promise." Emily smiled up at Will as JJ returned from the bedroom, Garcia in tow.

"Let's roll!" Garcia said excitedly.

* * *

"Em, are you sure about this?" JJ asked doubtfully. Maybe this wasn't the right time to do this, and Emily was so nice to offer to pay for it, but she already missed Henry. Emily was a great driver, but it was just starting to snow.

"Ambassador's daughter, remember? I've got connections and a trust fund. Trust me, I'm sure." Emily assured her, pulling up to the bank.

"Maybe I should call Will--"

"Jayje, it's been four minutes. I'm sure nothing drastic has happened." Garcia scoffed at their blonde friend as Emily smiled.

"Run into the bank with me, I've just got to withdraw the money for the deposit and we are good to go." Emily commanded as she turned off the car. This spa required a cash deposit, and to her horror, she had to actually _enter_ the bank.

Standing in line to speak to a teller, Garcia laughed to herself--they almost looked _normal_. There they were, friends about to go to the spa. Not 'special agents' who saw blood and death everyday. Not specialists in each of their respective fields. No. Today they were just normal women out for a small vacation. Garcia chuckled even further at how JJ continued to nervously check her phone for messages from Will.

"I'm pretty sure he hasn't called yet, honey." Garcia scoffed. JJ turned to retort, but was immediately interrupted.

Suddenly, shots fired into the air of the bank, startling the three women. JJ immediately reached for the gun at her side that wasn't there. Emily's reaction was much faster and more effective, immediately unholstering her gun and leveling it in the right direction.

"NOBODY MOVE!" A man in dark clothing shouted. There were three others behind him, one woman, two men. All with semi-automatic rifles and bullet proof vests. The man leveled the gun at Emily. The man took a step towards her and commanded firmly, "Put down the gun."


	2. Chapter 2

**_AN/Thanks for all of the reviews! These chapters are short on purpose, it just felt like a good time to break._**

Emily frantically looked around her, hoping that there would magically be some form of back up to protect them. Seeing none, she relented "Fine. I'm putting down the gun." She held her hands up in surrender.

"Nobody has to get hurt." One of the black clad men said. "Just do what we say, and nobody has to get hurt."

The dominant unsub, who was tall and had dark hair, as Emily deemed him, quickly walked over to her and removed her gun. "What are you?" He asked, as he searched her. "DCPD? FBI?" Finding her badge, he hit her hard in the back of the knees, forcing her into an involuntary kneeling position.

"Where are your cuffs?"

"In my bag." Emily responded calmly. One of the unsubs walked over, and grabbed Emily's bag. Emily could tell by his steps that he was reluctant. He seemed less emotionally involved and less confident in the crime than the man who seemed to be the dominant.

"Alright, Girlie, give me your hands." The confident unsub said. Emily complied unsurely. She was not certain what she was to do, but doing as they say was probably her best option. The man hand-cuffed her to the sturdy railing.

"Where's the keys?" The girl piped up from behind. She was skinny and blonde, and looked around the same age as the subordinate unsub. Emily could tell from the way she was carrying herself, that this girl had no desire to be in this situation. Emily mentally started profiling the team. A dominant male, a submissive male, and a submissive female. She could bet her pitiful government salary that the last unsub, who was tall and hispanic was the dominant's right hand man. He was the one who was entirely in this for the money. The dominant had something to prove, and the woman probably had some reason to be loyal to him, she was either his girlfriend or sister or someother close bond. The submissive male was the tricky one, he would have been coerced into this, or had some other underlying reason for being here. He looked like the dominant so, she assumed that he was the dominant's brother or another type of relation; these types of crimes tended to be family gigs. The right-hand man was the one to break, he was only in it for the money and probably had no loyalty to any of these people. He would easily sell out any one of them in order to save himself.

"They are in the bag." She replied, as the woman checked the bag and found them.

"Who are these girls with you?" The Hispanic unsub asked, pointing a gun at JJ and Garcia.

"They are my neighbor and her sister, we were going out for a girl's night." Emily lied easily, she gave herself enough voice-cracking in order to seem worried, but not enough for the unsubs to suspect her. She was an abnormally good liar under pressure, and knew that there was a balance to the truth. Just enough fear that it seems realistic, but too much would cause her to look guilty. Emily was grateful that Garcia had left her badge in the car, and JJ forgot hers at home. JJ hadn't carried her gun since Henry was born, and Garcia was vehmently against them, so she didn't have to worry about the unsubs find those either.

"Lacey, Steve, go check the vault." The dominant shouted over to the female, and the unsub who was in it for the money, and then turned to the submissive male.

"Jason, go check the tellers, keep them under control." The man ordered. Jason muttered something under his breath and jumped over the telling window. Prentiss could see that Jason was easily athletic, but was not trained in firearms, with the way he held his gun. Jason coddled it, and was very careful, like he had not shot it often. Emily could tell that the man couldn't be older than 25, because his frame still held some more youthful characteristics. The dominant had to be a little older, but not much. She would peg his age around 25 to 35. The man was tall and very muscular. His shape reminded her of Morgan's, which did not come easy. This guy was pumping iron at least 3 times a week. He was probably very self conscious and over compensating. He was lucky with women, charismatic and charming, but there was some reason that he lost control in this daily life. He probably was incompetent in his career, which was strictly blue collar that caused him to exert force to find practical solutions for every problem. He was stunted emotionally, because to him, robbing a bank _was _a practical solution to his problem. He was intelligent because it took serious intelligence to plan a bank robbery, but was easily looked over in his line of work. He probably was born lower class and could not seem to over come his circumstances.

"_Psst....psst..._Emily!" JJ whispered urgently. "How is this going to end?" JJ knew Emily would understand the profile, and most likely how this thing was going to go down. She trusted whatever her friend had to say.

"If we do not figure out a way to get out of here, everyone is going to die." Emily tried to say calmly, but failed.

"What!? Why?"

"JJ, if they were planning on letting us live, they would have worn masks. At least one of the unsubs knows what is going to have to happen--they know that they will kill us all."


	3. Chapter 3

**_AN/Thanks for all of the reviews! I got a little stuck, so that's why it's taken me so long. ENJOY!_**

Penelope Garcia was not a stupid woman. Yes, her father had teased her that she would never get into medical school. Yes, she had dropped out of Cal-Tech, but she was no stupid woman. So when Emily told them frankly that their lives were in danger, she immediately calmed herself--knowing that no good could come of an analyst that couldn't keep her cool.

The unsubs instructed everyone to gather in the main lobby, close to where Emily was as they messed with the safe and cash drawers. Since it was the middle of the day, not many bank customers had entered, leaving the room full of five bank employees, the BAU female team members, and four others. Garcia watched as three of the Unsubs argued on the other side of the room. The dominant seemed content to watch the hostages. Garcia could tell that at least one of them was tech savy, because they somehow were expecting to bypass the security system with a single laptop. _Amateurs_ she thought with a smile, as she saw them type slowly on the keyboard.

Suddenly, Garcia's phone began to ring. Unsure of whether or not to answer it, but seeing that the dominant Unsub was distracted she looked at the Caller ID. 'BAU'. _Yeah, probably asking me to come in--no doubt needing my expertise. _While Garcia's phone had been on vibrate, Emily's had not been so lucky. A loud ring alerted the dominant unsub to the hostages probable cell phones and other electronic devices.

"Everybody give me your phones, wallets, and jewelry." He said, as though the idea had just hit him to rob the bank patrons as well. Seeing the small delay in their reactions, he pointed the gun at JJ and said forcefully, "NOW!"

* * *

"Morgan." Derek answered his phone groaning inwardly. He had been expecting a nice weekend with his dog, spent on the couch relaxing. He had even planned to look at some new properties, but with a call from the BAU he suspected that his relaxing weekend was about to be disrupted.

"It's Hotch. There's a situation. Virginia PD has requested our help, they've got a robbery in progress. I've tried Garcia and Prentiss but they aren't answering--although I know they were going to a spa with JJ, so they could just not have reception. Meet us at First Colonial Bank..." Hotch continued to give the address as Morgan began preparing to leave.

_So much for a relaxing weekend._Morgan thought to himself as he grabbed his keys and headed out his front door. He made the drive to First Colonial in record time, and arrived even before Hotch. He smiled to himself smugly, hoping to rub this in to his superior, Morgan dismounted his motorcycle.

* * *

"What is taking so long?" The unsub hovering over the hostages cried to his collegues. "Alright, nobody moves, or I _will _shoot you." He instructed the frightened hostages before joining his group in the back.

"Ok, Miss Prentiss. Time for us to talk about something happy." Garcia said softly. The unsubs were busy working on the safe, and Emily smiled at her friend's attempt to relieve the tension in the room.

"What do you want to talk about?" JJ asked nervously. She still hadn't recovered from having a gun pointed at her. Sure in her time at the FBI, she had been the brunt end of many guns, but images of Henry growing up without a mother flashed through her eyes. She was determined not to let that sudden nightmare become a reality.

"Emily's love life." Garcia replied with a wink.

"I don't know what you're talking about Garcia, and if you couldn't tell, I'm a little vulnerable right now." Emily scoffed, lifting up her arms to show the handcuffs as evidence.

"Oh, come on Emily! We all know you've been dating Hotch for at least 6 months." Emily's jaw dropped in shock as JJ simply nodded. The angry dominant unsub walked back towards them, almost as though he had expected someone to defy his orders. Seeing that they were all in the same place, he returned to helping his comrads attempt to open the safe.

"I don't know why you think you can hide stuff like that from me, I am the oracle of all knowledge." Garcia whispered once the unsub had left.

"Well, Garcia, you didn't know about Will and I" JJ began smugly.

"Hold it right there, blondie. The entire bureau knew about you and Will. If your credit card receipts weren't the tip off, American Express calling the office and telling me that you had accrued enough frequent flier miles from your trips to New Orleans to become a Platinum member, sure was a signal." Garcia turned on her friend.

"How long did you know, because I must have fooled you for a little---"

"About a year before the case in Miami." Emily answered, her words confirmed by JJ's slight blush.

"Come on, girl. Spill. If you don't Martha Stewart over here is going to start telling us about Henry's latest bowel movement." Garcia joked. It wasn't that she didn't love her Godson, but he was all JJ could talk about.

"Oh! I am not that bad! Plus, he is so smart, if you put your finger in front of him, he'll grab it and--"

"Jayje. Stop. All babies do that. Yes, he's a genius. Emily?"

"Uh...Well, we kind of started seeing each other seriously after I had that horrible experience with Viper and he told me how I was a Queen Bee and...." Emily began before stopping, "Seriously, We are going to die! The timing for this is horrible!"

"Emily, at least let our last moments on this pitiful earth be spent with a little scandal. I don't want to be one of those victims who spent their last moments crying and pleading, I want to go out in style. Part of that style is being a hopeless romantic and a complete snoop. So, as my death wish, tell me all about the Hotch love."

"Garcia, I am sure that no one in this place wants to hear about my love life." Emily assured her friend.

"Actually, ma'am, it would be nice to have a distraction." A random teller interjected, followed by several nods from the other patrons and workers.

"Fine. What do you want to know?" Emily conceded.

* * *

"We've got five bank employees and seven other patrons--12 hostages, four suspects." The lead SWAT agent briefed Morgan shortly after Hotch arrived.

"What about a perimeter?" Morgan asked. "Any points for entry?"

"The airvents, we've got people covering them now. The bank is protected with bullet proof glass, making entry through the first floor nearly impossible."

"Has contact been established?" Hotch asked shortly. This was the bank Emily used, he was fairly proud of himself for remembering that.

"No. We thought we'd let you guys lead hostage negotiation. You are the best." The agent shrugged as he handed the phone over to Hotch. "A line has been established, go ahead."

Rossi still hadn't arrived, and it was vital that they get this situation over with as soon as possible, so Hotch immediately called the number. After several rings, an angry man answered the phone.

"This is SSA Aaron Hotchner, what's going on in there."

"I'm robbing a bank, moron, and now I've got one of your agents." The unsub taunted.

"Is anybody hurt?" Hotch frowned at the idea of an agent caught in this, and the fact that the unsubs knew it would make it extremely unpleasant for that agent.

"Not yet, but if _anybody moves, I can't make any promises."_ He called loudly so the hostages could hear.

"Let me speak to a hostage, I need to know they are ok."

"Here." The unsub handed over the cell phone to Emily who held the phone to her ear with her shoulder.

"This is Agent Emily Prentiss." Hotch's face paled at the realization that it was Emily stuck in the bank. His stomach tumbled, but he knew he had to continue--finally asking, "What happened?"

"My _neighbor_ and I were going to the spa. They've got guns and---"

"THAT'S ENOUGH." The unsub cried.

"I want a plane out of here. You've got one hour before I start killing hostages. Starting with the Agent's blonde friend." The dominant unsub hung up the cordless phone and pointed to JJ. "You have one hour."

**_AN/Like I said, this was a hard chapter to write, so let me know what you think. Also, I'm co-writing 'The Ties that Bind' with SSBAILEY which I think everybody should read because although I may be partial, I really like the way that story is headed._**


	4. Chapter 4

**_AN/Thanks to everybody who has alerted, reviewed, and or read this story. I totally appreciate it!_**

* * *

Seeing JJ's frightened look, it took Emily half of a millisecond for her to decide what she needed to do. Inhaling deeply, she immediately responded.

"You don't want to kill her, she just had a baby and it would ruin you. You have a shot at getting what you want if you play your cards right. You take out the new mother and the entire American broadcast media will be all over you. You won't stand a chance. Taking out the most vulnerable person is never a good idea." Emily told the large man quickly. Gaining momentum as she went, she continued, "You are going to want to use me. I am the daughter of an ambassador. I can get you what you want. People are willing to do a lot to keep me alive."

"How do I know your aren't trying to pull anything on me?" The unsub asked, pointing the gun at Emily.

"You don't, but I can assure you that listening to me is your best chance of ending this right." Emily tried to soothe. She had to sacrifice herself to help her friend if she could. She may not be Henry's god-mother, but she was not going to let that innocent, little boy grow up without a mother. Especially a mother as good as JJ was. "I am also dating one of the men who is doing the negotiations, he is going to be very influential in this case. You need to use me."

"How influential?" The unsub asked, contemplating what she had just told him.

"Like I said, very. He is the Unit Chief of the team that they brought in to end this. He is directly in charge." Emily assured him, glad that she was getting somewhere with the man.

"Alright, I can deal with a switch for now. " The unsub mused as he walked behind the counter.

* * *

"Okay, we are going to need to get the live feed from the bank. Morgan, see if Garcia....No, she can't help us right now...See if the technical analyst for white collar crimes can help us out." Hotch commanded, trying not to fall apart at Emily's immenint danger. He had to get her out of there, he could not let his feelings for her cloud his judgement. Hotch knew that the only way to help the woman he loved was to do his job.

"Reid, now that we know where the points of entry are, look for which ones give us the best ability to get a few agents in, we may even be able to pull out a soft enterence and storm the bank." He continued to bark out orders. "Hey you." He called at a young--probably new--agent, who looked confused at Hotch addressing him, "Yeah, you, talk to the SWAT team standing by, ask them how they plan on doing a hard entery if they can't get in there any other way."

Hotch mentally tried to use his SWAT experiance to his advantage, contemplating how they could get in the bank with out injuring any of the hostages. He was not going to lose Emily to a rogue bullet in the overtake. He mentally chastised himself, after all, the unsub was infact aiming a gun at JJ. He needed to worry about the blonde at the moment. His Emily would be fine if they got in soon, she was not in complete danger yet. It was not like the unsub had singled out her. He felt slightly sickened at the feeling of comfort that overwhelmed him, knowing that Emily was not the unsubs next target.

* * *

Emily was slightly frightened that she was now the object of the unsub's rage. If the robbery ended badly or the negotiations went awry, then it would be Emily that would take a bullet to her brain. While she was afraid, she couldn't bring herself to regret helping her friend. She did what she had to, and Emily was alright with that. It was like taking the hit in Colorado, somethings just had to be done. And she would never regret doing any of those things.

"JJ." Emily called softly, pulling her blonde friend out of the semi stupor that had been the direct result of being threatened with her life. JJ turned to her friend, and looked at her intently.

"What do you need me to do?" JJ asked, refusing to allow herself to dwell on this new traumatic experience.

"Wait thirty seconds and ask 'Mr. Dominant' here if you can go to the bathroom." Emily commanded in a low whipser. "If I'm right, he'll have the girl go with you. Talk to her about Henry, you're good at that." Emily encouraged, trying to keep the mood light. Seeing JJ's questioning glare, she explained "Look. The unsubs may be following the dominant, but he's trying to impress the girl. If you're on her side, you are safe."

"But Emily--" JJ began.

"No girl. You listen to the profiling maniac. I agree with Emily, you do what you have to in order to get back to that little boy." Garcia whispered with finality.

Seeing JJ's still resistant look, Emily added softly, "I made a promise. I promised I would keep you safe, and I'm not about to let Henry grow up without a mom." Finally JJ nodded, she never wanted to be one who wasn't doing her fair share, but her friends had a point and it seemed like she didn't have much choice in the matter.

"What are you all jabbing about!" The dominant, still unnamed, unsub screamed walking back to where the hostages were seated.

"She has to go to the bathroom." Garcia pointed at JJ. "She was scared to ask."

Even in this dire situation, JJ cringed. She hated being called afraid, and although it would probably suit her purposes it was still embarrassing. Deciding that it was in her best interest not to contradict her friend, she simply nodded.

"Lacey! Get over here! Take this girl to the bathroom!" The unsub commanded.

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

**_AN/Thanks to everybody who has alerted, reviewed, and or read this story. I totally appreciate it!_**

* * *

When JJ and Lacey were walking to the ladies room, JJ decided it would be good if she cried. She forced herself to recall her response to the ending of Love Story when she was fifteen. The tears that she didn't usually shed were flowing freely by the time she and one of the unsubs had made it into the bathroom. She sniffled ostentatiously to ensure maximum sympathy, as she shut herself into one of the small stalls.

"Ma'm, are you alright?" Lacey said concerned, then she laughed lightly. She knew that she had just asked a stupid question considering that this woman was probably afraid she is going to die.

"I will be ok, I just want to see my baby boy again." JJ replied, trying to earn the woman's trust and thereby her protection.

"How old is he?"

"Three months." JJ answered, quietly adding, "I love him so much, he is my life."

"Are you and his dad still married?" Lacey asked.

"No." JJ let out a small cry as she left the bathroom stall. Being a single mother would definitely win more sympathy, but JJ wasn't lying technically. Her and Will weren't married, and she was at the bank, while Will was home. They weren't together at the moment.

"What's his name?" Lacey tried to stay objective but was failing.

"Henry, I named him after my grandpa who raised me. He is dead now, but I wanted to do something good in his memory. And to my little guy's credit, he seems to be just as good of a person as Grandpa was." JJ told the woman. "He is smart too. At a few weeks, you could put your finger in his little hand and he'd squeeze it. He already is recognizing his animal sounds. He loves cows and zebras. When ever he sees a picture of them he smiles this grin that could melt your heart. And he is friendly too. Even when he is meeting new people, he just smiles. He's an adorable little boy."

"When you found out, were you, you know, afraid?" The woman asked timidly.

"I was terrified. I was convinced that I had no business having a baby, but I got lucky, I got a good one. He is already showing impressive resilience to my parenting flaws. But when I had him, I knew I wasn't going to be perfect, but I would do my best and love him more than anyone else ever could. When it comes down to it, that's really all that matters. Loving your baby more than yourself and doing your best in raising them." JJ admitted as she washed her hands. She had never spoken aloud the fears she had, but for some reason, she was glad she could now.

"If his daddy wasn't a good man, do you think a baby would still have a chance at being one. The dad wouldn't be a bad person, just not a good one. He would be weak, letting himself being pushed in any direction because he doesn't have a backbone to do whats right. " The young, blonde unsub asked, but the question didn't seem directed at JJ, it seemed like one meant for herself.

"Depends on how active the dad would be in the child's life, I think. I really have no idea." JJ told her with a meek smile.

"He wouldn't be, there maybe someone else. And that someone else is not a wimp, but he is a bad man." Lacey told her absent-mindedly, not realizing what she was saying.

JJ had a question that was potentially dangerous. She summoned all her courage to ask it, if it went wrong then it would counter-act all she had done to align herself with the female unsub. "What are you doing robbing a bank?"

Lacey seemed surprised by the question, but did not seem angry about it. "I have done too much to Drew to not come with him... Even if he doesn't know what I have done. I couldn't hurt him again, and that's what going to the police or not coming would have done. I had to try to make up for how weak I am. If it were up to me, we would not be robbing a bank, but I am here now."

"Isn't that a little counter-productive? Making up for one mistake by making another. " JJ said, fully confident that this woman would not turn on her.

"It sounds that way, but I had to do it." Lacey tried to explain. "I owe Drew so much, he has been good to me and I have done some terrible things to him. I have to prove that I love him now that I have done everything to prove otherwise."

"Lacey, why do you owe him? What could you possibly have done to make the only option for redemption robbing a bank?" JJ asked sincerely, hoping this reason could some how save the entire bank. It didn't take a profiler to tell that Lacey was pregnant, and from the sounds of it, the baby was not the Dominant's.

"We should go back now, Drew is going to get mad if we stay in here too long." Lacey said, following JJ out of the bathroom. JJ could tell by the tentative smile that Lacey gave her that she had succeeded in the mission Emily sent her on. She prayed fervently that it would be enough.

* * *

When Emily saw JJ coming out of the bathroom with the woman, her heart leapt a bit. She could tell by the proximity that Lacey trusted JJ, Lacey was aiming her gun at JJ's back, not towards any organ that if shot would be fatal. She was appearing for the other's to be strong in her conviction for her crime, but Emily could tell the protection that Lacey was ready to give JJ. When JJ got back to where she sat previously, Steve came over to keep guard over Emily and the others. Knowing this was her best chance at getting the man who was only in this for money on her side, if it was going to happen, she would have to do it now.

"You don't look like a murderer." Emily said bluntly, startling the hispanic unsub.

"I'm not." He replied coldly, keeping a suspicious eye on the brunette profiler.

"He is going to kill us all and your going to go down for it." Emily insisted.

"You don't know what you are talking about." The tall, hispanic said, pointing his gun at Emily's head.

"You're a smart guy. Tell me, if he was planning on getting out while letting everyone else live, why aren't you wearing masks? Why is he using your first names? He is putting you in a position where every person in this place is going to have to die in order for you to get out. He is not planning on leaving witnesses." She taunted.

"You have no idea---" Steve trailed off, as though contemplating her words.

"I have every idea. He's going to kill us all, and because you're an ex-con, you're going to go away for life." Emily insisted, noticing the doubting look that was now residing in the man's eyes.

"It was just supposed to be a job." He muttered under his breath.

* * *

"Ok, tell me what we've got." Hotch said again, the plans for the building laid out in front of him.

"We've got points of entry, here." Reid pointed at the places on the map, "and here."

"Alice Meyers, the White Collar Crimes Analyst, said she can get a live feed in ten minutes." Morgan added, the gravity of the situation weighing on the entire group.

"Negotiations are at a stand still." Hotch said, though everyone knew that. "He refuses to talk to us until we have a plane, he stopped answering the phone."

"We don't have much time." Rossi concluded in frustration as the four men looked at each other with seriousness.


	6. Chapter 6

**_AN/I totally appreciate everybody's patience--I know it's been forever since I updated it. This chapter will be a little longer than the others to give some consolation since it's been so long since I've updated--okay, okay! It's downright bribery, but I hope it works :)_**

* * *

JJ's legs began to cramp as she sat on the cold tile floor of the bank. She stood quietly, earning a glare from the hispanic unsub that was 'guarding' the hostages. When Steve looked at her questioningly, she spoke up "My legs are cramped, I can't sit there forever." She pointed out. He nodded slightly, understanding as she began to pace. JJ only paced when she was stressed out, and this _definitely_ counted as being stressed out.

"Just stay by everybody else." He said, moving to stand behind Emily, pointing the gun at her but keeping his eyes trained on the others.

"What is taking so long?" He muttered.

* * *

"Feed's up!" Morgan yelled to Hotch as they stood outside the bank. Hotch came over to see the screen, his heart falling when he saw Emily handcuffed to a railing with the other hostages sitting or standing close to her. JJ was pacing quietly in the small lobby, careful to stay in the designated area for the hostages while Garcia sat next to Emily. A tall man was standing, pointing a gun at Emily's head. In his best attempt to hide his emotions, he stayed slient, hoping that it would not come down to Emily being hurt in anyway. If these people did anything to her, he may rip them limb from limb.

"Hotch, you should go in." Rossi said decisively, "You have the best negotiation training here, and I don't see us getting anywhere if we stay on the phones. I think you should talk to them, get them to give up their weapons peacefully, and then we'll talk to them."

In Aaron Hotchner's years of BAU leadership, never had he had so many conflicting feelings. He wanted to go in to protect his Emily, but he didn't want to jepordize her life anymore than it already was. For the longest time he had wondered why he couldn't date her; He loved her, he took care of her, and he would never do anything to hurt her, but he suddenly realized why all those fraternization rules were in place, to keep the agents objective -- for the first time in his life Aaron Hotchner was too emotionally involved to do his job. Always thriving at keeping his emotions in check, he had never had to deal with a time where they may betray him...And he feard that today, maybe they would.

* * *

"Drew, we are going to have to hack their system, there is no way for us to get to the money unless we do." Jason, the younger unsub, said to the dominant loudly enough that everybody in the bank could hear.

"What? You never said that we would have to hack the system!" Drew yelled, running out from behind the teller's counter towards the Hispanic unsub and the rest of the hostages.

"You asked me if it was likely, I said no. Very few banks in the area would have security systems where hacking would be necesary. It isn't my fault you picked the wrong bank!" Steve shouted enraged, pointing his gun at Drew.

"I picked the wrong bank? Maybe if you did more surveillance than this wouldn't have happened!" Drew screeched back.

"Just because you picked the one with the FBI agent!" Steve suddenly turned and walked behind the counter to face the young, reluctant unsub in the back. "You have one minute to get into that system...OR I WILL BLOW YOUR HEAD OFF!"

The hostages could obviously see the stress level of the unsubs increasing. One bank employee backed up slightly, almost unconsciously, and pushed a large potted plant backwards. Drew, hearing this slight movement whipped around to see the commotion as a sudden single shot rang out.

The shot was above the headline of most of the hostages. JJ, unfortunately, had been pacing with her back to the unsubs and had just turned around when she heard the shot and instantly felt a tearing pain at her side. She stood momentarily, as though dazed by the new sensation flowing through her. After a moment, she fell to her knees, succumbing to the pain as she clutched the growing red blob on the front of her shirt.

"What did you do?" Lacey yelled as she ran over to JJ's side. Garcia immediately jumped up to join them, not caring about the potential danger as she pulled JJ from her knees to lay on the floor with her head in Garcia's lap.

"It was an accident." Drew stated softly, momentarily shocked by what had transpired. "I didn't...I mean, I--"

"What do we do? There's so much blood!" Lacey moaned as JJ cringed, pulling her hand away slightly to reveal a large amount of blood that had begun to pool.

"Use a cloth to apply pressure." Emily called, still handcuffed to the railing, though she pulled at the handcuffs unconsciously as if they would magically release her and allow her to help her friend.

"We need to cut our losses and get out of here Drew." Steve insisted, moving over to the bleeding woman.

"EVERYBODY JUST SHUT UP AND LET ME THINK! STAY WHERE YOU ARE!" Drew yelled at the group, instantly the phone began to ring adding to the tension in the room. "Don't answer the phone." Drew called to the other unsubs that were obviously loosing their loyalty.

"I have medical training." A female hostage called out. As Emily looked at her, it was obvious that this woman was likely a nurse or a doctor, her hands were dry from washing them repetitively and they looked sterile, with short nails and no nail polish. She was in her mid to late thirties and was very pleasant looking and conservative. "I'm a surgeon." The woman added, trying to convince him to let her help.

"Well get over here!" Lacey yelled, looking up at Drew as though to dare him to contradict her.

"Yeah, fine. Go help her!" Drew agreed. With his approval, the woman jumped up from her seat on the floor and rushed to JJ's side.

"Alright, I need you to let me look at it." The woman instructed JJ who obeyed immediately. "My name's Kathy. What's yours?" Kathy asked, trying to keep JJ conscious. "JJ. It's a lot of blood." JJ observed, stating the obvious.

"Yeah, its going to be ok. I need to lift you up and see if you've got an exit wound, ok?" Kathy looked kindly into JJ's eyes, trying to keep her coherent.

"Ok." JJ gritted her teeth as she rolled slightly to her right, exposing her left side.

"Ok, it looks like the bullet may have gotten lodged in your ribcage, how's your breathing?" Kathy asked, worried that JJ's lungs may be in jepordy.

"I'm fine. It's not that bad." JJ lied.

"You're going to be ok, but we've got to get you out of here." Kathy instructed, staring at the blonde woman whose gun was laying beside them. Lacey jumped up as though she had been burned, grabbing the gun and backing away.

"Can't you operate on her here? You're a surgeon." Drew pointed out, still watching the interchange of the injured woman and the others.

"We're in a _bank!" _Kathy cried incredulously as she applied pressure to the wound.

"So?" Drew questioned.

"What would you want me to use, a pen?" Kathy snapped, "Even if I had the right tools, I wouldn't do it here. I don't have anesthetic for one, and it's not sterile in here, she'd get an infection that would _definitely_ kill her."

"I am OUT of this! I am _not_ going down for murder. I am out of this NOW!" Steve resolved, the brunette's words earlier striking him hard. He turned his back towards the door as he leveled his gun at the others slowly taking steps backwards--as though daring them to try to stop him.

"Don't you dare!" Drew warned.

"Or what? You'll kill me? Like the poor defensless woman? No! I am _not_ going down for this." As soon as he reached the door, he turned and ran out, holding the gun in the air as surrender while the agents rushed him and pulled him away into custody.

"Drew, we need to--" Lacey began, trying to convince him to let the woman go.

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT WE NEED TO DO!" Drew snapped angrily, the pressure wearing on him.

"Don't yell at her!" Jason defended quietly, his words seemed to stop Drew's ranting. Jason walked calmly to the still ringing phone and waited for a moment, ensuring that Drew saw his actions. After a moment, he answered the phone.

"Hello?"

* * *

Hotch could feel the bile rising in his mouth. He wasn't sure what made him feel more sick, seeing an agent that he was responsible for shot accidentally by an idiotic kid or the slight feeling of gratitude that washed over him at the realization that it wasn't Emily who was injured.

He sat, watching as several people jumped to JJ's side, obviously trying to help while he listened at the ringing phone, hoping that an unsub would answer. He could see the pained look on Emily's face at being unable to help her ailing friend.

"This is Aaron Hotchner. Who is this?" He asked sharply, in no mood for games anymore.

"My name's Jason. Look, we didn't want that girl to get hurt. We just wanted the money." He seemed to be trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to convince Hotch.

"Ok, Jason, we just want to get this over with."

Hotch watched the monitors as the phone was snatched from Jason's hands, back to the other unsub. "Get me my plane." The older man insisted, hanging up the phone.

"How soon before SWAT can enter?" Hotch turned and asked Morgan who was standing beside him.

"Twenty minutes."

"We may not have that kind of time." Hotch stated softly, as he looked into the worried eyes of his teammates.

* * *

"Jason, do whatever computer junk you've got to do to get us into that vault. I'm going to get us out of this." Drew promised a moment after the call was ended. Jason looked at him defiantly for a moment, as though ready to say something. Drew interrupted whatever Jason was going to say "Look, the sooner we can get into the system, the sooner this mess will be over." He tried to convince his brother.

"I can help." Garcia spoke up, slightly surprising herself. If that was what it took to get these crazy scary guys to give up, then she'd hack whatever system she needed to. Seeing Emily's slight smile and approving nod, she insisted again "I can help."

"Go." Drew instructed her. "But, if you pull anything funny I'll shoot your friend." He said, motioning to Emily. Garcia was not in the business of losing friends, and although she could likely do whatever she wanted without him knowing, she wasn't about to put Emily's life in danger too.

"Lacey. Stay here, make sure they don't do anything. I'm going to help Jason." He instructed angrily.

Silence filled the bank lobby as the hostages contemplated what would happen to them. Lacey looked at JJ who was still awake. "Does it hurt."

"No more than childbirth." JJ laughed, then cringed at the movement--trying to distract herself and send Emily the message that she realized she hadn't passed on.

"Honey, nothing hurts worse than childbirth." An older lady said from across the room as two other women laughed.

"But don't worry Lacey, you'll know soon enough." JJ ventured, hoping that Emily was listening.

Lacey unconsciously rubbed her stomach and smiled softly. "Drew just wanted the baby to have everything that he never did." She mused softly, as though reminding herself of the initial reasons for their current fiasco.

"What did Drew say when he found out?" Emily asked, realization dawning.

"He was so happy, we weren't expecting to get pregnant and--"

"No." Emily interrupted, "I mean, what did Drew say when he found out that the baby wasn't his?"

Lacey's face drained of color. "How did you--?" Her eyes darted momentarily to JJ, but knew the blonde hadn't really had an opportunity to tell her friend much.

"It's Jason's isn't it?" Emily asked for confirmation. Lacey's guilty expression and refusal to meet her eyes was all the confirmation that Emily needed. Before she could continue, however, the small group of hostages were surprised by a figure they hadn't noticed returning.

"Is that true?" Drew's voice caused everyone to jerk their heads in his direction. "It's not mine?"

* * *

Garcia sat in front of the vault, her fingers flying over the laptop that the unsubs had brought with them. As soon as the gun-wielding scary bad guy left, she ventured to the other guy "You don't have to be doing this, you know."

"He's my brother. I owe him."

"You _owe_ him? Honey, I don't think anybody _owes_ their brother enough to rob a bank and kill people. If he's holding something over your head, then just tell him to buzz off--don't go around with guns and shooting people and stuff." Garcia pointed out.

"He doesn't know. I just. I owe him, okay?" Garcia's fingers continued to fly over the keyboard, if she wanted to, she probably could have hacked this system in her sleep, but right now she was trying to talk some sense into what seemed to be a nice guy.

"Can I tell you a secret?" She asked, he looked at her in surprise. "I mean, you're brother would probably kill me if he found out this."

Jason simply nodded, "I'm not my brother."

"Years ago--not that many, but some--I did some stuff that was _very_ illegal. Not to hurt anybody, I was just extremely good with computers and I needed to eat. Eating turned into a need for shoes, which spiralled to the point that I was a hacker for hire. I hacked CIA files, bank accounts, you name it--I did it. Eventually, I got cocky slipped up to where I got caught." She explained, he seemed to be completely focused on her story that he neglected to realize that she was no longer typing. "I was sure I was going to prison--I had done a lot that I wasn't proud of."

"So, what did you do?" He asked, prodding her story to continue.

"I was offered a job by the FBI with a bunch of conditions that I would never do certain things again, that I'd help find other hackers and keep them from hurting people--basically they told me to use my superpowers for good, not for evil. I took it, and I've done a lot of good."

"So, that story the other lady told? You're all FBI?" Jason asked, realization dawning.

"You bet your minty green toothpaste I am, but that's not my point--I am putting my life in jepordy to tell you this." She reminded him.

"I know--so, what's your point?"

"My point is, that even though I'd done all of that bad stuff before, I hadn't hurt anyone. Major corporations, small countries, federal governments? Yes. But, an actual innocent person? No. Redemption is possible. Just because you've done some bad stuff doesn't mean that the doors are closed forever." Garcia pointed out.

"I slept with his girlfriend and now she's pregnant with my baby." Jason admitted, feeling that if this woman could divulge such a secret, he could too.

"You can still get out of this while there's time. Yeah, people have gotten hurt--my friend included, but there's still time to get out." She insisted, hoping to get another person to give up like the other guy had.

"Maybe you should just keep typing." Jason mused, though she could tell he was seriously pondering what she had told him. Suddenly the big mean scary guy came back, and Garcia was certain he was coming for her.

"Get up." He said, his jaw clenched with anger as he pointed the gun at his brother. "NOW!"

* * *

**_AN/I hope you liked it! Drop me a review, and let me know :) Also, I worried at the lack of Emily in this chapter, so let me know what you think about that!_**


	7. Chapter 7

* * *

Emily Prentiss was not a woman who worried easily. She was and always had been a woman with a plan. Her initial plan to get the unsubs to turn on eachother had been working perfectly, but having the dominant unsub turn on the rest of them was not a good idea. Suddenly the two brothers reentered the room.

"Tell me why I shouldn't shoot you right here." Drew asked his brother, pointing the gun at him.

"Drew, I didn't--"

"I can't believe that you would sleep with my _girlfriend_. What? Did you wait until she was lonely and then come to her while I was out of town?" Drew angrily jabbed the gun in his brother's gut as Jason remained silent.

"What is wrong with you, you fell in love with Lacey?" Drew was getting close to hysteria.

"Drew, stop! It wasn't his fault--" Lacey tried to intervene.

"It wasn't his fault?" Drew cried incredulously, waving his gun around. Everyone in the room could see how tense the situation was getting.

"She's the one who came to me." Jason said softly, "You don't have to do this."

"My life is already over! _You_ took my life from me." Drew said as he whipped the butt of the gun across Jason's face. "None of us are getting out of here alive." He half-whispered. Emily's eyes widened in horror at the realization that Drew had decided on an end game. She knew that it was likely it would come to this, but the realization it was happening spurred her into action.

* * *

"Hotch, we can't wait any longer!" Morgan said angrily as they watched the unsub come closer and closer to losing it completely on the screen.

"Send in SWAT." Hotch commanded Morgan, walking over to grab their own vests to join SWAT on the take-down.

"I just hope we still have time." Rossi mused as he picked up the vest.

* * *

"Drew, you're life isn't over." Emily spoke up, causing both men to whip around to face her.

"Yeah? Why not? That lady is going to die," He motioned to JJ who was slipping in and out of consciousness as Kathy monitored her vitals, "my girlfriend and my brother are having a baby, and I have nothing."

"You're right. You don't have anything. You're a small, petty, low-life who is a loser. You're girlfriend would rather be with your brother, you're currently trying to pull off the stupidest bank roberry in history, and you will probably die. So maybe I was wrong, your life is over." Emily observed, trying to manipulate Drew, spurred by JJ's shallow breaths on the other side of the room.

"You don't know ANYTHING about me!" Drew shouted angrily, whipping his gun across her face. Emily's head fell a bit, stinging with pain. Emily could tell that he was quickly becoming unhinged, and prayed that the others would be in soon. SWAT would have to storm the building soon, but she needed to get him away from everybody before he went down in a hail of bullets and took half of them with him. By bringing him to her side, she was putting herself in danger, but she was potentially saving the lives of every other person inside the bank lobby.

"Oh yeah? I think I know you better than you know yourself, but more importantly, I think I know that you're terrified that you just killed someone." Emily insisted, then dropped her voice and spat angrily "I KNOW that you're _weak_ you couldn't possibly do anything..."

"FREEZE! FBI." Morgan yelled as the SWAT stormmed the door. The other unsubs dropped their weapons immeadiatly. Drew however, moved his gun closer to Emily's head, causing Hotch to aim his gun right in between Drew's eyes.

"I'll shoot her!" Drew threatend, he began to move his finger closer to the trigger, before he could release, a loud bang resounded in the lobby. Drew crumpled to the ground, Lacey's sobs washing over the room as she and Jason lifted their arms in surrender. Morgan ran over to where JJ was lying, and motioned in for paramedics that were waiting for the signal. Hotch quickly undid the restraints on Emily's arms and enveloped her in a hug.

"I thought I might of lost you for a minute there." Hotch laughed weakly, grateful that she was okay.

"You aren't getting rid of me that easily." Emily drew herself closer to the unit chief. "Is JJ going to be alright?" She asked after a moment.

"The paramedics are going to take good care of her." Hotch informed her, knowing that Emily was worried about her friend.

"I'd better go check on her." Emily said, trying to get up but Hotch stopped her.

"You will do no such thing." He commanded, kissing her lightly on the cheek. "You will however, let the paramedics take a look at you." Hotch added, as he checked out the bleeding on Emily's forehead.

"Hotch..." Emily complained feebly, knowing that it would be of no use to argue.

Hotch put his lips closer to Emily's ear. "Emily, I love you too much to let you be stupid. Please, just let the EMT's take a look at you."

Emily pulled back a bit. "Stupid, excuse me?" She said in fake offense.

"Poor word choice, I meant stubborn." Hotch replied, giving her a winning smile. "Just do it. For me."

"Fine." Emily conceeded as Hotch helped her get on her feet. "It's a good thing you are cute, because Morgan's right, you're kind of a drill sargent." She laughed lightly at her own little joke.

Aaron Hotchner pulled Emily closer, "You ever scare me like that again, and you are flying a desk job."

* * *

**_AN/I hope you liked it! Drop me a review, and let me know :) I've got a new poll question on my profile that I'm super interested in the result, so go check it out :)_**


	8. Chapter 8

**_AN/ I hope you liked it! Sorry it took me so long to get this out, I know a lot of you were wondering if the last chapter was the end--but this is most definitely it :) This was hard for me because I normally don't A) Ship Hotch and Prentiss, B) Ship JJ and Will, and C) Write Will as a good character. So, I would love to hear what you think, criticism it totally welcome. _**

* * *

EPILOGUE

JJ's eyes fluttered as she woke from the drug induced sleep. Her first thought was that she must have died, that her earthly existence was over and she was now encased in a bright, painless one. Hearing the softly beeping machines, she was alerted that she was, in fact, still alive. '_Good, I have too much to do to die'_ She thought to herself with a smile.

Turning to examine the room in the light, she realized that she wasn't alone. Will stood in the corner trying to help Garcia as Henry squwacked loudly, Morgan was pacing the room, and Rossi seemed to be staring off into space. Hotch and Emily weren't there yet, but she assumed they either had been, or soon would be. _My family._ She smiled.

"Hey, look who's awake!" Morgan said as he turned once more and began walking the short steps toward her.

"How are you feeling sunshine?" Garcia asked, racing towards her.

"Like I was hit by a bus." JJ admitted, laughing slightly, then immediately regretted it.

"I'll go tell the nurses you're awake." Rossi smiled and left the room.

"Come on mama, let's go grab some coffee." Morgan insisted, allowing the couple time alone as Garcia handed Will his son and left the room.

"We'll be right back." Garcia promised as she left the room, then threatened slightly "Don't go _anywhere_."

"You're parents are on their way down from Pennsylvania." Will started once they were alone, then seemed to be overcome with emotion.

"Will--" JJ started, feeling emotion flare up inside her at how broken Will appeared at the thought of losing her.

"JJ, I was so worried." Will said honestly as he sat in the chair next to her and handed her their son.

"I know. I was too." She admitted, allowing a tear to fall down the side of her face at the realization of how close she came to never seeing her son walk, or talk, or ride a bike.

"The doctors said that the bullet nicked some of your organs, but they stitched you up as good as new. You are very lucky." He could feel the tears well in his own eyes as he thought again what it would be like to raise a son without his mother.

"I love you." JJ admitted.

"I know." He kissed the back of her free hand lightly, grateful to have one more day with the woman he loved.

* * *

"I need to make sure she's ok!" Emily insisted as she avoided the anticeptic that the nurse, _Alice_, tried to apply to the small wound on her cheek.

"What you need is to ensure that your wound is not going to get infected." Alice retorted angrily, she had delt with her fair share of FBI agents, and this one was no different, insisting that she knew better.

"You heard the woman." Hotch agreed, eyeing Emily cautiously, "stay and make sure you are ok. Then we'll find JJ."

Alice flashed Hotch a look of appreciation. Dealing with stubborn FBI agents was never easy.

"Alright, ma'am I just need to stitch you up and you'll be good to go." Emily was informed as the nurse grabbed the necessary items.

"I hate hospitals." Emily muttered as the nurse began the stitching.

"So does everyone." Hotch pointed out, smiling softly that even as she was being stitched up she was still the same Emily.

"We don't necessarily like having you here either," Alice muttered slightly as she finished up the stitches.

"I'll remember that for future reference." Emily quipped and fielding a disapproving look from Hotch asked, "can I go now?"

"Your doctor cleared you to go, so I don't see anything stopping you." Alice smiled as Emily practically bolted out of the room with Hotch at her heels. "FBI Agents." Alice shook her head disapprovingly.

* * *

Stopping her slightly before she bolted into JJ's room, Hotch looked lovingly into Emily's eyes. Eyes that hours ago he had wondered if he would ever see again. "Emily," he started softly, emotion choking up his voice, "I was so--"

"I know." She cut him off, kissing him lightly. After the ordeal, all she had wanted to do was to run to him and let him hold her securely in his arms, but right now she still had something to do. "I was too." She admitted, smirking softly before she opened the door to JJ's hospital room.

"JJ!" Emily sighed gratefully as she entered the small room. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Me too." Will agreed, smiling at Emily in an attempt to show how grateful he was for her efforts to save the woman of his dreams.

"Guys, I'm fine!" JJ dismissed casually. "I'll be back to work in a week--"

"Two." Emily interrupted seriously, _there is no way she's going back to work so soon_.

"Three." Hotch and Will said in unison, and looked to each other in admiration.

"Fine!" JJ snapped playfully, knowing that the three people in this room were probably the most over protective friends a girl could ask for--other than Garcia--"I'll be back to work in _three_ weeks and I'll be good as new." JJ was impressed that it was only three weeks, she was sure that they'd keep her out for nothing shorter than a month.

"Can I ask you one favor?" Will asked, a mischievious glint in his eye, but otherwise his face was a mask.

"Sure." JJ looked at him perplexed.

"Next time you go to hang out with the 'girls'," He drawled, "make sure you have your gun. Or better yet, avoid any possibly dangerous situations--or even better, why go out at all?"

"If I remember correctly, it was you telling me that there needed to be some 'male bonding' between you and Henry." JJ quoted, chuckling softly though it made her side ache.

"At the visions of Henry growing up without his mama, I'm pretty certain we don't need any more time alone." Will assured her, looking down at the woman he loved and the baby in her arms.

Hotch placed his arm protectively around Emily's waist and pulled her closely as the pair watched the small family. Emily wrapped her arms around his, grateful for the comfort he provided. She was happy that they made it out of the situation alive, and as protective as Hotch was acting now, she was grateful she hadn't told him that morning the secret that would have threatened to ruin everything. Watching her blonde friend and baby sitting happily, she couldn't help but imagine what it would be like when her own child was placed in her arms for the first time. She wouldn't have long to wait to find out.

"Hotch, there's something I have to tell you." She whispered.

"What?" He asked.

_I'm pregnant_, she thought, but instead decided not to interrupt JJ's moment with her family, "I'll tell you when we get home." She smiled coyly.

**THE END**


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